Depending on the version of this story, it sounds like this happened later, not while she was making the slime.
Depending on the version of this story, it sounds like this happened later, not while she was making the slime. Which matters, because my first thought was so why didn't you flush her hands? But of course if it's much later, that's moot.
Meanwhile, I'm trying to guess how this happened. Borax in water is endothermic, afaik, so that shouldn't be it. And borax is a relatively mild alkali. It's not even considered terribly toxic per its MSDS. Maybe it's a contact thing, like if you play with it before the reaction is completed, or you handle the borax a lot, or make multiple batches of it and are repeatedly handling the borax?
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/girls-hands-third-degree-burns-making-slime/
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/girls-hands-third-degree-burns-making-slime/
Meanwhile, I'm trying to guess how this happened. Borax in water is endothermic, afaik, so that shouldn't be it. And borax is a relatively mild alkali. It's not even considered terribly toxic per its MSDS. Maybe it's a contact thing, like if you play with it before the reaction is completed, or you handle the borax a lot, or make multiple batches of it and are repeatedly handling the borax?
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/girls-hands-third-degree-burns-making-slime/
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/girls-hands-third-degree-burns-making-slime/
Yeah, I read that story last night and while I'm hardly a chemist, I remember making stuff with borax in my chemistry set as a kid. And the basic borax slime recipe is up on the American Chemical Society website.
ReplyDeleteI'm confused by this.
Repeated exposure could definitely be a thing. Also, the definition of burns includes first through fourth degree burns, now, so I have to recalibrate what I'm picturing when I read those descriptions.
ReplyDeleteI've used a LOT of borax, and frankly even splashing myself with concentrated lye solution and not noticing until six or eight hours later rarely managed to qualify as a second degree burn. Borax never managed more than making me a little itchy.
ReplyDeleteYeah, my kids and I recently spent an entire weekend making slime with these same ingredients and I'm really not sure what this kid could have done.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that there was a mixup in the chemicals used, though I honestly can't imagine what with. Or else that the kid has some sort of contact allergy to PVA?
ReplyDeleteYou can develop a contact problem with repeated exposure to almost anything. I poked around a bit more, and apparently she was making this like every day for possibly weeks? And seemingly never used gloves or anything because if you only do it once you don't need them so why would you need them if you were doing it all the time? Also, she woke up in the middle of the night, per the infallible internet, starting to have problems and it may not have been until the next morning that people realized she had blistering and desquamation and got her to the hospital. Where I suspect they had no idea how it happened, just that she had some nasty burn type reactions all over her hands and seemingly esp her fingers.
ReplyDeleteP.S. The internet is terribly confused about the difference between boric acid and borax. Many are the people trying to explain, and many are those who will not listen.
Yes, well, what could possibly ever be the difference between an acid and its sodium salt? It's not like we routinely use the sodium salt of a ferocious acid in food or anything.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the article posted states in the first paragraph that she "had just finished" making slime, which is apparently misleading from what you described. It also shows a picture of the girl with a box of borax in front of her, which is probably staged and equally misleading. Either she has developed some variety of sensitivity, or maybe she had borax on her hands and then got something else on them that reacted poorly (bleach, ammonia, etc.)
ReplyDelete